Springfield officials say they have appealed the cancellation of a $20 million federal environmental grant while also pursuing litigation to get it back.
Springfield was the only city in Massachusetts to receive the “Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change” grant — part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act, passed during President Biden’s term.
City workers spent months preparing to use the money to address Springfield’s high asthma rates, plant 1,500 trees, and reduce lead contamination, among other projects.
But the Trump administration canceled the grant in May, citing “different priorities,” according to Springfield housing director, Gerry McCafferty.
“I've never seen something of this financial consequence being done that is not related to the economy,” said Steve Buoniconti, Springfield’s city solicitor. “This is about the environmental impact – direct impact – to people's health. And we followed the rules of the grant to the T, and now the federal government is just ripping it out from underneath us.”
Springfield filed an official appeal to the EPA this week but Buoniconti said he does not think it will succeed.
“We haven't heard of one city or town across the country that has had the federal government change their mind,” he said. “It seems to be a strident position by the feds."
So the city is looking into litigation. Buoniconto said they are talking with a legal nonprofit in Washington, DC, to represent Springfield in court and make the case that the administration has no right to take back the money.
“We're arguing that the federal government is overreaching based upon the intent of Congress when they passed the legislation and funded these grant programs,” he said.
He said the city has spoken with Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office but doesn’t expect her to take on this case.
The attorney general’s office sent NEPM a statement saying, ”Our office, alongside our multistate coalition of attorneys general, will continue to fight to ensure communities are protected from policies that harm our residents. On these efforts and others, we have an open line of communication with our municipal partners, including the City of Springfield."
